


Take Me Out To The Ballgame

by dillonmania



Category: DCU - Comicverse, The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Baseball, Day Off, F/M, Family, Flash Rogues, Gen, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-04
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-17 13:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/868146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dillonmania/pseuds/dillonmania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Rogues go on a road trip to watch a baseball game -- and so do some Flashes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Me Out To The Ballgame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [therune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/therune/gifts).



> For therune's birthday! Set in the Bronze Age. Len is [canonically a diehard Cubs fan](http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i227/liabrown/Snarts/gamblersanonymous_zpsc8977bed.jpg), even though the Rogues are geographically closer to St. Louis (or Kansas City, for that matter). The [Top and Yo-Yo Museum](http://www.topmuseum.org/) is real, and not far from Chicago.

“This is gonna be so cool!” Wally enthused as his uncle drove them down the highway. Barry had promised a trip to Chicago to watch the Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals, and the boy had been looking forward to it for weeks. “But why didn’t we just run there?” Wally asked for the fifth time, bored with the slow pace of driving.  
“Because sometimes it’s worth doing things like everyone else,” Barry replied patiently. “It’s a road trip. Everyone should experience a road trip at least once.”  
“If you say so, Uncle Barry…” Wally sighed as he stared out the window at the passing scenery. He took his mind off the tedium with happy thoughts about the upcoming ballgame and all the fun things they’d get to do in Chicago.

“This is gonna be so cool!” Lisa squealed excitedly, squeezing Roscoe’s shoulders to wring a smile out of him. He was grouchy that Len had refused his request to go to the Top and Yo-Yo Museum, and had been sulking for the better part of an hour.  
“I want to go to the museum,” he complained again, and Len gritted his teeth.  
“We ain’t going to the museum, so shut up about it. You go on your own time.”  
“A museum is far more interesting than a ballgame.”  
“They’re both fun!” James suddenly interjected cheerfully, “and we can visit one after the other!”  
“We’re not going to the damn museum! Nobody cares except you two. If you keep bitching about it I’m gonna kick you both outta the car and let you walk home.”  
“That might be more entertaining than the ballgame,” Roscoe muttered under his breath, and Lisa elbowed him.

Barry had splurged on some seats located not far behind home plate, which thrilled Wally to no end. They were close enough to see the players spit and hear them curse, which was an utter delight to a teen boy and an unanticipated problem for his concerned uncle.  
“This is the best, Uncle Barry!” Wally declared happily as he gobbled peanuts faster than any normal child could, and Barry smiled at him. The important thing was that they were having a good time.

“Can’t ask for anything more,” Len said with a blissful expression as he enjoyed the sun on his face and the beer in his hand. “Nice day, good food, and the Cubbies.”  
“You mean the Cardinals!” Sam corrected him firmly. He, like many of the Rogues, supported the Cardinals over the Cubs and condescendingly looked down upon Len’s favourite team.  
“The Cubs are gonna clobber your boys, and when they do, you bastards will take turns driving us home while wearing a Cubs hat,” Len replied serenely. He and Sam shook on it, both confident their team would win.

“Say, Len…” James said with a friendly innocence which veiled his slyness. “If the Cardinals win, how about a trip to the Yo-Yo Museum?”  
“Seeing as that’s not gonna happen, sure. But all of you have to shut up about that place if they lose.”  
“Of course, of course!” James chirped sprightly. He didn’t particularly care about the outcome of the game, but rarely made a bet he wasn’t certain of; the Cubs’ poor reputation was well-known, and they often lost when playing against the Cardinals. He was fairly confident he’d just scored a trip to the museum.

“It’s so bright,” Hartley fretted, casting a worried glance up at the sun. There was no shade, and he wasn’t sure sunblock and a ballcap were enough to keep his fair skin from burning.  
“You need a wider brim,” Mick said sagely, well-versed in the art of keeping the sun off his bald head. “You can probably buy one at a concession stand.”  
Hartley searched his pockets for money, and was startled to find none. “That’s weird, I could have sworn I brought a fifty.”  
Digger had a strange little smile on his face, as though he knew something the others didn’t. “Pick some pockets, mate.”  
“No! Remember what I said: no crimes. You jerks aren’t gonna spoil this trip by getting us in trouble,” Len scolded. Hartley looked dejected, so James gave him some cash from his wallet to buy a hat and Coke.

Most of the Rogues were already getting loud and drunk by the third inning.  
“This beer is godawful piss,” Roscoe grumbled with a disgusted expression, but he was drinking a lot of it anyway.  
“If the Cubs win, you gotta buy me one of yer ‘craft’ beers or whatever you call them,” Len told him, already on his fifth bet of the day even though the Cubs were losing.  
“I’ll buy you one anyway, to perhaps teach you something about quality,” Roscoe retorted, although Lisa quickly distracted him before he could get ruder and start a fight.  
“This game is bleedin’ nonsense. `s dull and got nothin’ on cricket,” Digger announced imperiously for the second time. “Now see, cricket is the sport of kings. This is a game for Yanks.”  
Hartley rolled his eyes. “The rest of us _are_ Yanks, Digger.”  
“Yeah, but I don’ hol’ that against ya. You lot should watch a real sport, though.”

Len jumped to his feet and roared with joy when the Cubs scored a run. But his prolonged noisy enthusiasm was unappreciated by the people sitting in his section, even the ones who were Cubs fans.  
“Quiet down, buddy, you’re buggin’ my kid,” one man yelled from a few rows away, and Len gave him the finger.  
“That’s really rude,” Hartley told him disapprovingly. He’d only had one beer and definitely agreed that Len had been too loud.  
“Okay, whatever,” Len muttered, but wasn’t going to apologize to anyone.  
“Maybe you should slow down on the drinking,” Lisa suggested, and half the Rogues laughed boisterously at her. So much for that idea. 

By the sixth inning, even Hartley had started drinking more because it was the only way to endure the guys who were already drunk.  
“Hey ump! You fuckin’ _blind_?!” Len screamed at the umpire when a call didn’t go his way. He and Digger had been heckling most of the people on the field for a while now, including the under-performing Cubs players who were disappointing him and risking the loss of his bets. Digger didn’t actually care about the game, but always relished an opportunity to shout insults and act crudely. And Sam and Mark eventually joined in the ruckus by counter-heckling the players Len favoured. Only Mick was quietly enjoying the game; Roscoe and Lisa had turned their attention to each other, James was doing tricks with a yo-yo, and Hartley appreciatively watching the handsome guys on the field.

“Those men are so crass,” Barry fumed from his seat a section away. He couldn’t believe how much they were swearing and setting a terrible example for children.  
“They’re not so bad,” Wally replied casually, secretly impressed by the creativity of their cursing and keen to try some of it later with his friends.  
“I’m going to talk to them and see if I can get them to quiet down,” Barry declared, and he was not one to be dissuaded. Mindful of his civilian identity, he slowly sauntered over to the rowdy bunch to confront them.

“Excuse me,” Barry said politely yet firmly, “would you fellows mind toning down your language and not shouting so much? There are children here.”  
Hartley laughed uncomfortably, certain that Len wouldn’t react well. But Len merely ignored the interloper, and then it was Digger’s turn to chuckle at the futile request.  
“We’re very sorry,” Lisa told Barry, herself a bit tipsy but the only member of the group who wasn’t a Rogue. As a public performer, she’d learned how to display grace even when she didn’t feel like it.

Barry narrowed his eyes at them, suddenly realizing that the men seemed very familiar. They were all in street clothes, but he’d seen the Rogues unmasked and out of costume before. And the guy who looked like Mirror Master was even wearing orange and green.  
“You’re the Rogues!” he exclaimed, and the men’s jaws dropped.  
“How did…?”  
“Who’re you..?”  
“Get him!” Digger shouted drunkenly, but Len stood up and stared fiercely at Barry.  
“I dunno who you are, but we ain’t committed no crimes. There’s nothin’ wrong with us enjoying a ballgame, so fuck off and leave us alone.”  
Chagrined, Barry mostly had to agree. “You’re right, but being drunk and disorderly in public is against the law. Knock it off and I won’t bother you again.”  
“Deal,” Len muttered, and Barry strode away with a triumphant smile.

The Rogues lowered their voices to talk amongst themselves, ignoring the alarmed looks from the fans sitting around them. Some people had finally had enough of them now that their identities had been exposed, and moved to another area of the stadium even though the seats were poorer.  
“Who the hell was that guy?”  
“I dunno, but I bet he was a cop.”  
“Yeah, no shit.”  
“How are we supposed to have fun if we can’t drink or swear?” Len complained as he cast an angry look in Barry’s direction.  
“You can have a good time without being a jackass,” Hartley reminded him in a slightly snippy tone, though he was privately delighted that the guys were forced to quiet down.  
“We’ll see,” Digger muttered angrily. He was about to throw an empty beer cup at the man sitting in front of him, but a quick glance over at Barry reminded him not to do it. “I’m already havin’ less fun.”

Hartley thought it was amazing how much the afternoon improved once the guys had (mostly) started to behave themselves. He didn’t have to wince from all the yelling, and no longer had to endure other fans’ dirty looks and Digger’s sloshing beer. Len still watched the game intently and sometimes muttered to himself when things went wrong for the Cubs, but was no longer shouting obscenities. Even Roscoe had begun to loosen up; although he rarely admitted it, he was troubled by loud noise too. Digger was grumpier about everything, but the others had cut off his beer supply so he was already less drunk and obnoxious, and had ceased leering at Lisa’s cleavage. They could now hold actual conversations amongst themselves -- only occasionally interrupted when the crowd roared about something in the game -- and Sam explained the intricacies of the sport to the others less familiar with it. The group was now far more relaxed, and everyone but Len and Digger was smiling more. Len was still upset because his team was close to losing, and he didn’t relish making good on all his bets.

The final inning was a nail-biter, followed closely by Sam and Len and mostly just a curiosity for the others. Len threw down his hot dog and shouted angrily in disgust when the Cardinals won, while Sam excitedly leaped to his feet and lorded the victory over Len.  
“I told you -- I told you the Cards would win!” Sam yelled triumphantly as the other man sullenly handed over a wad of bills. But the look on Len’s face convinced Sam not to be _too_ gleeful, or there might be some kind of frozen revenge later. Still, Sam draped his arm around Digger as they walked to the exit and he chattered happily with everyone, and the Rogues weren’t bothered by Len’s sour mood. The day had been fun after all.

The Rogues ran into Barry and Wally in the parking lot, and there was instant tension between the two groups.  
“Uncle Barry…those are the Rogues!” Wally whispered urgently, preparing for a fight, but Barry put a calming hand on his arm.  
“I know, Wally, but I think it’s okay. They don’t seem to be causing much trouble so far.”

“Oh, it’s you,” Len said flatly. Already cranky, it was a good thing he’d left the cold gun at home and had decided not to commit crimes during the trip, although that resolve was now being sorely tested. “We quieted down like you asked, so are we square?”  
“Yup, thank you. Hope you fellas stay out of trouble for the rest of your vacation,” Barry said with a friendly smile as Digger snickered.  
Len seemed more resigned than offended. “Yeah, I guess. We’re going to the--" (there was a lengthy sigh) “--Top and Yo-Yo Museum after this.”  
Barry couldn’t hide a grin when Roscoe and James immediately lit up with obvious delight and happily high-fived each other. He supposed the Rogues’ quirky interests were really quite endearing.  
“Have fun, guys!” he called and waved, and then he and Wally headed to their car.


End file.
